2025 BRC Sires' Produce Stakes: Trainer Kelly Schweida wary of tough last run for Grafterburners
Grafterburners produced an eye-catching charge from out wide on a heavy track in the Group 2 Spirit of Boom Classic (1200m) two weeks ago to finish third behind Cool Archie and Gallo Nero, who is the $4.20 favourite for the Sires' Produce (1400m).
Schweida also has exciting grey filly El Morzillo running in Saturday's Fred Best Classic (1400m), which offers the winner a golden ticket to the prestigious $3m Stradbroke Handicap in two weeks' time.
Grafterburners is currently third in the betting market for the Sires' Produce for juveniles, behind the Hawkes Team's Gallo Nero and Michael Freedman 's undefeated gelding Aerodrome ($6.50).
The Chris and Corey Munce -trained Cool Archie is listed as a $12 chance following his Spirit of Boom Classic victory, his third win in a row.
Grafterburners will need another tremendous effort from barrier 16 on Saturday when the Eagle Farm track is almost certain to be worse than its current Soft 5 grading, with showers forecast in Brisbane on Friday and on race day.
Another winner for @munceracing, with Cool Archie getting the nose down in the Spirit Of Boom Classic! pic.twitter.com/uk6xCdxwda
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 17, 2025
'That run was super,' Schweida said of the ride two weeks ago from Jason Collett, who will again be on-board for the Sires' Produce after Blake Shinn this week was ruled out of the rest of the winter carnival with a foot injury.
'The only trouble is that you don't know how much that takes out of them.
'It doesn't appear to have. He's worked good, his blood's good and he looks good. But he had a hard run the other day, four-deep.
'It's a strong Sires', as good as I've seen for a while.'
Collett will ride El Morzillo in the Fred Best Classic after steering the filly to a last-start win in a 1350m race for three-year-olds on Doomben 10,000 day two weeks ago.
The winner of more than $1m in prizemoney has firmed from $16 to $11 in the $300,000 Group 3 race, with the Chris Waller -trained Angela Capital the $3 favourite ahead of Media World ($7.50) and Just Party ($8).
'She's got an awkward gate too (11) but she bounced back super from that run the other day,' Schweida said.
'She looks good and she's got the same jockey on.'
If El Morzillo wins the Fred Best Classic to gain guaranteed entry into the Stradbroke Handicap, she will carry just 49.5kg in the 1400m blue-riband race on June 14.
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